Peak middle class marketing

[kindlypudding]

I am in this demographic, but it fucking irritates me.
I suppose it could be called consumer class appropriation, how so many goods are aimed at the MC with taglines including factory workers, craftsmen, etc.

I look at a woolly hat, typical shop that I like and have purchased from, and there's a foot long description about the wool process. OK, we are the main target for ethical, climate related messaging, but it's beginning to feel cheap, worn out and fucking patronising.

Here's one from Navy&Grey -
"The wool arrives in Scotland by boat where it is spun and dyed on the banks of Loch Leven in Kinross by Todd & Duncan, one of the finest Scottish Mills which has been spinning yarn for 150+ years.
85% of the dyes used by Todd & Duncan are organic and the water used for washing and dyeing the wool is cleaned and purified before returning to Loch Leven to be used again".

And here's another from Toast -
"Established in 2009, Bleu de Chauffe, the name taken from French workwear jackets worn by 19th century factory workers..."

You could almost say it is a fetishisation of the working class, or at least pre war. It supposes I am thick headed, desperate to show my privileged, ethical plumes. I chose the bag quoted above because I love it, it has served me well and the softness of the strap reminds me of my old horse's reins long ago. This squarely places me within the target market, and whilst a lot of these products are beautiful, the cloying, oozingly false pretensions about the environment leave me cynical.
It's like when you read a Guardian article about capitalism and clothes, and all the commenters claim to only ever buy second hand and patch up their own repairs. This is great, but along come san actual poor person who has been doing that anyway for years. It feels like just another road to excessive consumption, but with a more insidious intent.

It’s very annoying but not a new thing, best satire I’ve read of it is the hot dog seller in Terry Pratchett novels who’s always telling people his products were handmade by monks up a mystic mountain according to an ancient secret recipe.

Also the song Common People is great re. fetishisation of working class.

As a slight aside I do know as soon as the word artisan/artisanal is added to anything it doubles the price (as in the baguette I bought yesterday which was £4.40 !!)

I’ve no idea because I’m working class through and through but my DH considers us middle class because of his job. I just happen to live in an area full of these people. They all have city jobs and an average 4 bed house here is £1 mil so I assume they’re middle class ? They’re bloody annoying is all I know.

The most hilarious I ever saw was on a menu in Australia - everything lovingly hand-gathered at dawn by vestal virgins, washed in mountain dew, carefully hand-cut by artisans into delectable slivers…etc.

There were several lines of equally purple prose about the cheese I ordered instead of pudding - when it arrived it was a one inch square on a plate, nothing else, no garnish. After the surfeit of purple prose, I actually burst out laughing.

The 'common people ' have the MC sussed,

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Wtn1a-7TnOE

If Britain (well England really) wasn't so wildy obsessed with attaching nonsensical class signifiers to every single item/look/style/activity in our lives...you wouldn't have this problem.

This marketing doesn’t work on me but I never really get as far as reading this far down when buying something online.

If I like the picture that’s enough to make me buy it. But I do wonder who this marketing appeals to?

Should also add I fit the demographic.

The fact that I’ve never read this kind of bollocks let’s you know I have the Temu app downloaded on my phone 🤣

Well I guess it’s more palatable than ‘Created with the blood, sweat and tears of a ten year old sweatshop worker. Wear this garment with pride in the knowledge said ten year old is providing for their family and without your purchase they would all starve’.

The MC labelling reads like a twee chick lit book ‘The Tiny Tea Shop in a Chocolate Box Village by the Sea at Christmas’

It's only on MN people are obsessed by class. It's never been an issue with my friends and family.

I live in Cornwall and this irritates me so much. Finisterre and Sea Salt are awful for their pretentious nonsense. (plus they're assholes to work for!)

Spun and dyed on the banks of a Scottish loch. Lovely images of the loch.

How about being a Quality Control Operator?

The position will initially be Day Shift but as a fully flexible team member, we would be looking to cover Day Shift in addition to Back Shift and Night Shift

£11 an hour. But you get the chance to pay for a bus.

Looks idyllic.

Indeed. It was ever thus.

Nothing new to see here.

@NeverDropYourMooncup Sea Salt HQ offered me NMW to do a technical role that requires a full degree and 5 years work experience

assholes.

Good for you and your friends/family!

But while class stuff might not be an issue for you, I do think lots of people say things on here to do with class that they'd be far too polite to verbalise in real life.

100% this. That spinning mill referred to in the OP is the best in Scotland and is renowned worldwide, so of course you are going to say that's where your materials come from. Same as another business I'm aware of says they use Holland and Sherry tweed rather than tweed. I know that they are one of the best mills in the Borders and so that is meaningful to some, less so to others. It's the same reason we say Harris Tweed rather than just tweed, as this elevates the product - not for all but for many.

It's just marketing.

I know. To quote my children, it's just cringe! My cousin is terrible for this. She now has money, definitely middle class but never stops talking about it! Ski holidays and talking about how she will eat cadburys even though it's awful. Eh, i quite like cadburys! 😂

my dad calls it “LARPing as a pleb”.

OMG YES! “Colourway” drives insane. It’s a bloody colour. Stop being a pretentious twat. I no longer feel alone in my rage 🤣

Yeah that's a good one.

Also the signs that proudly boast of "Locally sourced ingredients" which just means they got the stuff from the nearest Tesco.

I'm not sure what's wrong with the Navy&Grey one. I use the path on loch Leven a lot and would love to buy a hat made in the factory that you pass on the loch side. I would NOT like to wear a hat made from most Scottish wool - sheep in Scotland are hardy and have coarse fleece usually, better for carpets than clothes and certainly not hats.

👏👏👏👏🤣🤣🤣

"Established in 2009, Bleu de Chauffe, the name taken from French workwear jackets worn by 19th century factory workers..."

Referencing 19th century factories brings to mind child labour, a lack of worker protection and or safety and a few other rather unpleasant associations (to me).
I am however fairly certain that these are not the images meant to be evoked by that particulat excerpt....

I am not sure if fetishising poverty is quite correct (although it does seem close).
But whoever wrote this obviously considered the 19th century factory associations beneficial to their brand. Which is an absolute mindfuck.

That particular piece of information doesn´t relate to the quality or the production process either...

THIS!
A not~ so~ stealthy stealth brag.
That is what immediately jumped out at me. 😆